Music diplomacy: the US brings brass band to Lahore

LAHORE: The Stooges Brass Band played to over 100 music students and music lovers at the Alhamra Art Centre on Saturday.

The US Mission in Pakistan brought the band from New Orleans, Louisiana to play at events and participate in musical exchanges in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. The band’s visit to Pakistan hopes to answer the call from many Pakistanis to see more American exchanges in the country and promote cultural understanding.

The brass band’s concerts and exchange workshops will not only increase awareness about different American musical styles that exist across the US, but it will also expose the music group to a wide range of Pakistani musical traditions. The band members said they were very excited to be in Pakistan. They were looking forward to sharing their music and learning more about Pakistan.

In Lahore, the band conducted a music workshop and concert for more than 100 students from a US-funded afterschool English language programme and for university students at the National Museum of Science and Technology. They also played concerts at the Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) and the Alhamra Art Centre. They went live on air at FM 103 and took listeners’ questions about their music.

Formed in 1996, the Stooges Brass Band is one of the best brass bands to emerge from New Orleans’ iconic “second line” traditions. From weekly gigs in clubs to “second line” parades throughout the city, they are constantly in the mix, fusing traditional brass band standards with hip-hop, R’n’B, jazz and pop into a constantly fresh and evolving sound. While appealing to the emotions of traditional jazz, the brass band uses their hip-hop influence to create a new sound. Their innovative incorporation of hip-hop to the traditional styling of New Orleans brass band music has set them apart from other New Orleans bands and allowed to develop an extraordinary performance history, including sharing the stage with Ray Charles, Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli), Jessica Simpson, and Jadakiss. The Stooges Brass Band has toured nationally and internationally in Asia, Europe, and South America. pr